NYD Cross with CFC YFL and CFC SFL

The National Youth Day Cross is now with the CFC Youth for Family and Life and CFC Singles for Family and Life as part of it’s pilgrimage around the Philippines for the celebration of the 25th year of the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the CBCP.

It will be at the Home Office this whole week for singles, youth and community members to visit and pray. It comes with a prayer guide that can be used.

More from the CBCP ECY:

The National Youth Cross

The National Youth Cross is the first Cross ever created for the Philippine Catholic youth ministry. The Episcopal Commission on Youth, celebrating its 25th anniversary, decided to come up with a Cross which will go on a pilgrimage all over the Philippines.

The Cross is made of tanguile wood or Philippine Mahogany. The images and figures on the surface were hand painted; they are youthful in style and color, and the persons garbed in Filipino get-up.

The vertical part of the Cross depicts the scenes of the story of the Road to Emmaus [Lk 24:13-35], a Gospel story which serves as our icon in youth ministry here in the Philippines:

+ The two disheartened disciples meet Jesus, who listens to them

+ Jesus explains the Word of God

+ Jesus leads them in the breaking of the Bread

+ The two disciples return to Jerusalem, afire for the mission

The horizontal part shows fourteen different faces of young people, representing the fourteen regions in Philippine Catholic youth ministry: Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, National Capital, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Central-Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, the five regions in Mindanao-Sulu, i.e. Cabustam, Daditama, Dopim, Kidmaco and Zambasuli, the Military Ordinariate, and the Federation of National Youth Organizations.

The Journey of the Cross

The National Youth Cross of the Philippines goes on a pilgrimage throughout the country in celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Episcopal Commission on Youth.

As this year focuses on the importance of young people in the life of the Church and society, the journey of the Cross sends out a message of hope to the youth and manifests the salvific love of Christ who offered his life to bring us back to the Father.

Young people are then encouraged to gaze upon the Cross and receive the many blessings and graces emanating from this symbol of Christ’s love for us, and reflect on it; thus encountering Christ in a more personal way. This way, the journey of the Cross becomes a true pilgrimage of prayer, reflection and grace. It should then be an occasion for all, but especially for young people.